"The Smile of the New Day"

"The Jangoth"

Run, breathe, live! Those were the only thoughts going through William's mind. Run faster! Breathe harder! Live longer! Land slipped slowly away as he ran away: running toward nothing, yet running from something.

William ran as fast as he could, running from whatever he thought was chasing him. Suddenly, pain erupted in his body, starting in his head and racing down to his feet. He felt like screaming, but held it in.

William's foot hit a loose rock on the forest floor; he stumbled and fell onto the ground. He felt the taste of blood in his mouth. Slowly, he picked himself up, cringing slightly as he brushed off loose dirt. His leg hurt badly.

Suddenly, from behind him, he heard a barely audible rustle of bushes. He whipped around and stared at where he thought the sound was coming from. The moon shone down a pearlescent glow, illuminating slightly the forest wilderness and the road that wound its way through.

He heard another rustle and saw one of the bushes move slightly. He thought he saw a shadow. His hand fell to his sword, but he thought otherwise. He ran.

A high-pitched screech sounded through the still forest. William cringed as he slowed his pace, trying to block out the horrible sound by covering his ears. He was wrong about one thing: he was still being chased. Although, this time, he knew what was chasing him. A Jangoth. These dreaded creatures prowled through the darkness in search of food. Human flesh and blood. They answered to no one save for their master, the evil sorcerer Halbren. Nothing could escape his trap once it was set.

Another screech tore through the night as William ran. A family of frightened birds flew from their nest as the Jangoth floated by. William was slowing; the Jangoth was not.

A giant thunderhead cloud drifted quickly as the wind ripped suddenly across the once peaceful forest. The cloud blocked the light of the moon, reaping darkness across the land. William could not see a thing.

Run faster! Breathe harder! Live-- William tripped on an unseen root and sprawled flat onto the earthen floor. He hit at such an impact that he snapped his arm. That pain again! It was so unbearable! He could see nothing; he could hear, though, only his own panting and the silent approach of the gliding Jangoth. He coughed up blood.

All sounds stopped. His end was near; he could feel it. The loudest screech he had heard yet erupted right above where he lay. Why me? he asked himself.

As William lay on the ground, helpless and alone, he felt something touch his arm. It was not pleasant. It felt like frozen bones being pressed heartlessly onto him. He was turned over. He shut his eyes quickly, but not quick enough.

He saw the most dreaded thing imaginable. The Jangoth's face was tight and drawn. It looked almost like a skeleton. Its face was neither black, nor white, but a combination of both. It had no eyes or nose, just a mouth. A mouth that dripped with dried blood and teeth as sharp as a sword's edge. As he looked, pain, more excruciating than all the other times, exploded inside of him, sending a feeling like white fire throughout him. He wanted to scream again, but nothing came out. William waited.

William saw through his eyes the thing come closer. He screamed a soundless scream, but a scream nonetheless. His eyes lurched open as he felt the Jangoth's teeth rip into his neck, its frayed, black cloak brushing against his arms and legs. Pain ripped through him.

But, before he died, he saw, in the east, a sliver of light. A new day. He smiled to himself, then died.

The Jangoth shrank away, leaving its prey behind, completely mutilated beyond recognition. Its job was done. William's body lay there, the only thing recognizable on his body was the smile. The smile of a new day.